Jai Arjun Singh’s definitive and hugely entertaining study of Kundan Shah’s Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro is packed with anecdotes about the making of the classic comedy. Among them is the story of how Om Puri, previously known for his deadly serious roles, got cast as the permanently drunk builder Ahuja, who is so smashed that he can’t tell the difference between a corpse in a coffin and the driver of a car.

Actually, [Pankaj] Kapoor was first hired to do the Ahuja role and was ‘promoted’ to Tarneja afterwards. This left a gaping blank space next to the name ‘Ahuja’ in the cast list.

‘Ask Om Puri,’ suggested Ranjit Kapoor.

‘Are you sure?’ Kundan said.

Puri had a reputation for being a serious young man who did serious roles. His star-making performance in parallel cinema was as the mute victim of caste exploitation in Govind Nihalani’s hard-hitting Aakrosh, a film as different in tone from Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro as it was possible to be.

But Ranjit had directed Om on the Delhi stage in Bichhu and he knew that performing comedy was well within the actor’s skill set: the role had required tremendous comic energy and many strange physical movements that no acting textbook could possibly prepare you for—it was the perfect learning curve to prepare him for Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro. Just fifteen days before shooting was scheduled to begin, Kundan approached Om for Ahuja. Om, who, like Naseer, was looking to shrug off the ‘serious actor’ tag, grabbed the opportunity. ‘I had no sense of humour at the time,’ he remembers. ‘I did not crack any jokes and was very introverted. This was a chance to prove my versatility.’

Play

The classic moment when Ahuja finds D’Mello’s body.

As Om searched for how best to play the character in the very limited time he had to prepare, Ranjit Kapoor suggested he give Ahuja a crass Haryanvi accent; it would certainly mark the character out from all the others. However, it wasn’t until the last moment that Om really ‘got’ his character. Art director Robin Das has an amusing recollection of watching the actor try on different moustaches in a makeshift make-up room shortly before his first rehearsals. ‘He was sticking them on, all the while muttering to himself, “Yaar, mujhe yeh character mil nahin raha.” Then suddenly, he stuck the third moustache on, looked at himself in the mirror and’—here, Das mimics Ahuja’s slurred, bucolic speech perfectly—‘grunted out loud: “Oyye, mujhe karakter mil gaya!”’

Om’s accent would bring a north Indian touch to the film. Kundan, incidentally, never approved of it, but it is appropriate in a way; Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro may be a Bombay film, but the evils depicted in it belonged to the country as a whole.

Why should inclusion matter to companies?

It's not just about goodwill - inclusivity is a good business decision.

To reach a 50-50 workplace scenario, policies on diversity need to be paired with a culture of inclusiveness. While diversity brings equal representation in meetings, board rooms, promotions and recruitment, inclusivity helps give voice to the people who might otherwise be marginalized or excluded. Inclusion at workplace can be seen in an environment that values diverse opinions, encourages collaboration and invites people to share their ideas and perspectives. As Verna Myers, a renowned diversity advocate, puts it “Diversity is being invited to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance.”

Creating a sense of belonging for everyone is essential for a company’s success. Let’s look at some of the real benefits of a diverse and inclusive workplace:

Better decision making

A whitepaper by Cloverpop, a decision making tool, established a direct link between inclusive decision making and better business performance. The research discovered that teams that followed an inclusive decision-making process made decisions 2X faster with half the meetings and delivered 60% better results. As per Harvard Business School Professor Francesca Gino, this report highlights how diversity and inclusion are practical tools to improve decision making in companies. According to her, changing the composition of decision making teams to include different perspectives can help individuals overcome biases that affect their decisions.

Higher job satisfaction

Employee satisfaction is connected to a workplace environment that values individual ideas and creates a sense of belonging for everyone. A research by Accenture identified 40 factors that influence advancement in the workplace. An empowering work environment where employees have the freedom to be creative, innovative and themselves at work, was identified as a key driver in improving employee advancement to senior levels.

Innovation

A research by Catalyst.org stated the in India, 62% of innovation is driven by employee perceptions of inclusion. The study included responses from 1,500 employees from Australia, China, Germany, India, Mexico and the United States and showed that employees who feel included are more likely to go above and beyond the call of duty, suggest new and innovative ways of getting work done.

Competitive Advantage

Shirley Engelmeier, author of ‘Inclusion: The New Competitive Business Advantage’, in her interview with Forbes, talks about the new global business normal. She points out that the rapidly changing customer base with different tastes and preferences need to feel represented by brands. An inclusive environment will future-proof the organisation to cater to the new global consumer language and give it a competitive edge.

An inclusive workplace ensures that no individual is disregarded because of their gender, race, disability, age or other social and cultural factors. Accenture has been a leading voice in advocating equal workplace. Having won several accolades including a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate equality index, Accenture has demonstrated inclusive and diverse practices not only within its organisation but also in business relationships through their Supplier Inclusion and Diversity program.

In a video titled ‘She rises’, Accenture captures the importance of implementing diverse policies and creating an inclusive workplace culture.